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John Goodman

Whatever Happened to the $15 Minimum Wage?

Whatever Happened to the $15 Minimum Wage?

It seems like only yesterday that the $15 minimum wage was high on the agenda of every self-respecting progressive politician, including Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign. The “Fight for 15” was successful in several states and even went statewide in New York and California. So why aren’t we hearing more about the idea these days? It may be because labor markets are working, just like textbook economics say they should. More

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Obamacare: Promises Made, Promises Broken

Obamacare: Promises Made, Promises Broken

When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, health care was a major issue. Although many on the left were advocating single-payer, national health insurance, Obama pledged private health insurance reform instead.

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Why a Billionaire’s Tax Could Be Bad for You

Why a Billionaire’s Tax Could Be Bad for You

The Biden administration is proposing a new tax on households worth more than $100 million. Tagged as a “billionaire tax,” the new levy would apply not just to ordinary income, but also to unrealized capital gains. If a wealthy person owns shares of stock and the stock is worth more today than when it was purchased, Biden wants the federal government to take 20 percent of the increase. So, what’s wrong with that?

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What’s Wrong with the Economy?

What’s Wrong with the Economy?

Inflation has been driven by an explosion of federal spending, which rose to 40% of GDP. Spending surged as the pandemic shutdown reduced employment and production during that period by an average of 7%. In this textbook case of inflation, $1.20 of income began chasing 93 cents of goods and services – a process greased by expansive monetary policy. That mismatch sent inflation to a 40-year high.

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Did the Government Make us Fat?

Did the Government Make us Fat?

Beginning around 1980, the federal government and public health agencies began demonizing meat and saturated fat as the major cause of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the U.S. and around the world. They promoted a low-fat diet with increased consumption of carbohydrates instead. Obesity in the US has been steadily increasing ever since.

Sadly, these top-down public health campaigns served up a perfect nutritional storm for higher levels of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. And this was done while mounting, high-quality, peer-reviewed nutritional research suggested the basis for their advice was completely wrong.

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Will There be a Contract with America Next Fall?

Will There be a Contract with America Next Fall?

Almost three decades ago Republicans recaptured the House, for the first time in 40 years. Led by Newt Gingrich, they ran on a one page (Reader’s Digest size) set of promised reforms. My colleagues and I supplied the tax reforms for the document.

There has been a lot of media speculation about another Contract for this fall’s election. I have made a number of suggestions, but I can’t guarantee it will happen. Nonetheless, because of the prospect that it might happen the original Contract is now being trashed as partisan and self-serving by the mainstream media.

In response to this distortion of history:

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Pro-Patient, Pro-Family, Pro-Free-Enterprise Health Reform

Pro-Patient, Pro-Family, Pro-Free-Enterprise Health Reform

Two years ago, 81 think tanks and grass roots organizations signed onto Health Care Choices, a comprehensive reform of the health care system. This was a huge accomplishment – since the conservative think tanks had been at odds over health policy for almost three decades.

The most important innovation in our approach is this: We should begin by saying Obamacare has made health insurance unaffordable and the best doctors and hospitals inaccessible. In other words, we should go right to the heart of what the other side promised and didn’t deliver; and then pledge to do what they didn’t do by empowering individuals and letting markets work.

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More on that contract

More on that contract

Almost three decades ago Republicans recaptured the House, for the first time in 40 years. Led by Newt Gingrich, they ran on a one page (Reader’s Digest size) set of promised reforms. My colleagues and I supplied the tax reforms for the document.

There has been a lot of media speculation about another Contract for this fall’s election. I have made a number of suggestions, but I can’t guarantee it will happen. Nonetheless, because of the prospect that it might happen the original Contract is now being trashed as partisan and self-serving by the mainstream media.

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Is the New York Times Racist?

Is the New York Times Racist?

President Biden’s promise to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court has attracted support among a number of columnists and public officials on the grounds of promoting “diversity.” Charles Blow, a Black columnist for the New York Times, is much more honest. “It is important,” he says, “that Black people have a Black person on the court . . . in tune with the views of the Black community.”

Here is one thing you can take to the bank. Whomever Biden nominates, she will not have views in tune with the views of the Black community.

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